Surgical clamp tool



DM 4, 1951 H. A. HlNc-KLEY ET A1.' l 2,577,912

, SURGICAL cLAMPvTooL Filed July 15, 1949 iVm/mes. fla/MM wmf/Hi @fdMVM/ Patented Dec. 4, 1951 SURGICAL CLAMP TOOL Harold A. Hinckley andRoe C. Hawkins, Long Beach, Calif.

Application July 15, 1949, Serial No. 104,832

Claims. (Cl. 1-49.1)

This invention relates to a surgical clamp tool whereby surgical clampsmay be quickly and effectively placed by the surgeon to close anincision.

An object of our invention is to provide a novel surgical clamp toolwhich contains a plurality of surgical clamps and effectively dispensesthem one at a time, the tool holding each clamp as it is mov-ed out ofthe magazine, and then compresses this Vclamp to close the incision.Heretofore, surgical clamps have been difficult to handle by thesurgeon, and required that he pick each one up with a forceps like tooland then carry4 the clamp to the patient and insert it oneach side ofthe incision. This meant that frequently` vention may appear from theaccompanying drawing, th-e subjoined detailed description and theappended claims.

In the drawing: Figure l is a longitudinal sectional view of oursurgical clamp tool.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on line '2-2 of Figure 1. I

Figure 3 is a top plan view of a surgical clamp. Figure 4 is a frontelevation of the same.

`and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 5--5 of Figure 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, our surgical clamp tool isadapted to hold, dispense and compress surgical clamps I, which consistsof a band of metal formed with a loopl 2 on each end, and with a barb 3on each endand on the bottom, the barb being forced intothe skin, andwhen the clamp is pressed together, these barbs bite into the skin andserve to close the incision. The natural stiffness of the metal willserve to hold the incision closed. The construction of the clamp isusual and well known in the medical profession.

Our tool consists of a barrel or magazine4 in which a rail 5 isprovided, upon which the Vclamps I are racked. The rail 5 ispreferablyigedly mounted in the wall of the magazinel and extendslongitudinally of this magazine. A rider B on the rail is urgedforwardly by the spring 'I, surrounding the rail 5, and this riderengages the innermost clamp, and thus presses all of the clamps towardsthe outer or discharge end of the tool.

A vhead 8 is formed on the outer end of the magazin-e 4 and this head isprovided with a 1ongitudinal opening 9. A lever I!) is pivotally mountedon the rear end of the magazine 4 as shown at II. A pair of fingersI2-I3 are pivotally attached to the forward end of the lever Iil, andthis pivot is sufficiently loose to permit inward movement of the ngers.Each of the fingers is provided with a hook I4 at its lower end, whichlts the ring 2 and serves to grasp and hold the clamp as it is moved outof the magazine 4 on downward movement of the lever Il).

Within the opening 9 a pair of cams I5-I6 are formed which are engagedby the shank of the vlingers I2-I3, thus pressing these fingers inwardlyto cause the hooks I4 to engage and hold' the rings 2 of the clamps I.The cams I5-I6 are preferably integrally formed with the head 8 andproject inwardly from the wall of the said head. Thus, as the lever I0is moved downwardly, the clamp I'is iirst securely grasped by the hooksI4; the surgeon then places the barbs 3.on each side of the incision andthen on further downward movement of the lever I0, the

rcurved portion I'I of each of the fingers I2 and I3 enters the opening9, and causes the fingers I2 and I3 to move inwardly a further amount,thus compressing the clamp I and closing the incision, as well as thebending of this clamp so that the incision will be held in a closedposition. A door I8 is horizontally mounted on the bottom of themagazine4. A hinge I9 is at the rear of the magazine and the forward end of thisdoor snaps into the head 8, that is, the head is recessed to receive theforward end of the door with a snap or pressure fit. To rack the clamps,it is only necessary to swing the door I8 downwardly and then hold therider 6 back against the tension of the spring 1, and then the clampscan be slid on to the rail 5, one at a time, until the rail iscompletely lled. This rail terminates just short of the opening S in thehead 8 and the clamp about to be ejected is held into position by thepressure of the spring 1 against the adjacent clamps which are racked onthe rail 5.

In use, the surgeon picks up the tool loaded with clamps and places oneclamp after another by merely depressing the lever I0. This can be donewith one hand and can be quickly and easily accomplished without dangerof dropping l5 or losing a clamp, and further, without having to reachsome distance in order to pick up one clamp at a time. If desired, thehead 8 of the tool may be arranged at an angle to the magazine 4, thusmaking it easier for the surgeon to use the tool, and still place thebottom of the head flat against the patient.

Having described our invention, we claim:

1. A surgical Vclamp tool comprisingan elongated .magazine said'magazine rbeing adapted and arranged to receive a plurality of clampsplaced side by side, ejecting means adapted to engage and eject saidclamps one at a time, said ejecting means comprising a pair of fingersApositioned at one end of the magazine, manually operable means mountingsaid fingers .for re-v ciprocal movement over the Yend vof .the.magazine, means engageable by the 'iingers"tourge said lingers inwardlyto grasp a clamp 2as-said lingers are moved over the end of themagazine.

22. .A .surgical v clamp tool Vcomprising an .elongated magazine, saidmagazine being adapted and arranged Vto freceive -a plurality .of clampsplaced side by side, ejecting means adapted to :engage-andejectsaidclamps one at a time,said ejecting means'comprising a vpair of fingersApo .'sitioned at one end of the magazine, rmanually @operable meansmounting :said Ylingers for rev.ciprocal movement rover the vend of themagaezine, a-carnimeans engageable by thelngers to urge saidziingersinwardly to grasp a clamp as .saidfiingers are moved .over the end ofthemagazine.

A surgical clamp tool comprising an elon- A.gated -magazine, saidvm-agazine :being adapted and arranged to `receive aplurality of clampsplaced Yside by side, :ejecting means :adapted tolengageand'ejectsaidclampsone at a time, said ejecting means comprisingapair of fingers po- -sitioned atone end of the magazine, -manually:operable means mounting .said liingers for `re `ciprocalmovementover-the-end of the magazine, 'means engageable by lthe "fingers to urgeVsaid llingers inwardly to grasp a clamp assaid lingers :are `moved over`the :end of the magazine, and a curved fclaw yformedron the lower endofeachzof :said iingers, Isaid claw :engaging the side of the fclamps to-holdfthe sameandto move-said-clamps :into :a nal fadvancedpostion.

4. A surgical clamp tool comprising an elongated magazine, said magazinebeing adapted and arranged to receive a plurality of clamps placed sideby side, ejecting means adapted to engage and eject said clamps one at atime, said ejecting means comprising a pair of fingers positioned at oneend of the magazine, a head at the end of said magazine `in which saidngers are mounted, manually operable means mounted on the magazine,means securing said lingers to .said manually operable means, a cam insaid head engageable by each of the fingers to urge ,theriingersinwardly to grasp a clamp as the iingers .are depressed.

i5. Asurgical clamp tool comprising an elongated magazine, said magazinebeing adapted iandf'arrangei "to receive a plurality of clamps placed`side by side, ejecting means adapted to engage and eject said clampsone at a time, said ejecting means comprising a pair ofngerspozs'itioned `at one end Aof `themagazine, a head at fthe end ofsaid magazine in which said 'fingers "are'mounted, manually operablemeans mounted on the magazine, means securing said ngers'to 'saidmanually operable means, a cam in said head engageableby -each of theingers 'tourge the lingers inwardly to grasp a. clamp Vas the iingersarerdepressed, and a cam on each ofthe lingers, said latter cams beingengageable 'with the head whereby -the iingers are pressed inwardly tocompress `the clamp on downward movement of said'ngers.

HAROLD A. HINCKLEY.

ROEVC. HAWKINS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent.:

UNITED STATES .PATENTS Number Name lDate 1,452,373 'Gomez Apr. 17, '1923'15514259 Peters `Nov. y'4, '1924 '23592574 'Maskre-y Oct. v3, 1944FOREIGN .PATENTS Number Country Date 581,165 Germany July '22, i933

